The World Ndigbo Youth Movement, WNYM, on Monday, blamed the recent deportation of some citizens by the Lagos State Government on the activities of some Igbo leaders.
Leader of the group, Mr. Ndubuisi Igwekani, who stated that “the recurring slavish disposition of certain Igbo leaders” was threatening the unity of Ndigbo in Lagos and the country in general, noted that the destabilisation of the Igbo community in Lagos led to the ugly development.
“The ambush and destabilisation of the leadership of Eze Nd’Igbo Lagos, Chief Nwabueze Ohazulike, provided the enabling environment for the rights of the deported persons to be trampled upon”, he said.
Igwekani argued that ordinarily, the state of the destitute or vagrants would have been discussed with the leadership of Igbo community in Lagos so as to provide a seamless way of rehabilitating or reuniting the citizens with their kith, “instead of abducting and deporting them to an open space at the Niger Bridge at Onitsha.”
He condemned the attacks on Chief Ohazulike, and observed that instead of providing a home grown solution to the issue of correct appellation for leaders of the Igbo community in the Diaspora, certain political turncoats ambushed the leader by conniving with Lagos State Government to withdraw recognition granted to the Eze Igbo Lagos.
According to him, “I must be frank with you that was the genesis of this assault on the collective psyche of Igbo people”.
He further argued that whether ‘Onowu Lagos’ or ‘Onyendu Ndigbo Lagos’ should be the correct replacement for the designation, ‘Eze Igbo Lagos’, did not remove the fact that Ohazulike was crowned at a ceremony attended by the late Igbo leader, Dim Odumegwu Ojukwu.
While lamenting the “pull him down” syndrome among Igbo leaders, he said “that virus has become the greatest undoing of Ndigbo in Nigeria politics”.
Igwekani noted that it was as a result of “selfish rivalry” among political leaders that they did not recognise the fact that Ojukwu anointed Chief Chekwas Okorie as the political leader of Ndigbo.
“Ikemba actually raised the hand of Okorie as the man to succeed him as the political leader of Ndigbo but because of our attitude to money, politicians started plotting against Okorie. Now the trouble in APGA, (All Progressives Grand Alliance) ever since has been who should be in the position to sell Ndigbo into slavery”, he observed.
Igwekani, who is also the President of Movement for the Revival of United Peoples of Eastern Nigeria, disclosed that Igbo leaders were blinded by their quest to negotiate with President Goodluck Jonathan or a Northern presidential candidate to see the subtle plots against Igbo interest in Nigeria.
He regretted that the leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra, Mr. Raph Uwazurike, had been handicapped by his decision to wine and dine with the bourgeoisie, and as such he could no longer take principled stand against the negative stand of Igbo political leaders.
He added, “Igbo are going through a lot of dehumanising experience now. Our leaders are divided by their selfish desire to be the ones to sell Ndigbo to either President Jonathan or a northern presidential candidate. Uwazurike is enjoying his limousine, while people like Governor Rochas Okorocha are canvassing for where Ndigbo could serve as slaves in the Nigeria project”.
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